Blue Flag Beaches 2016

Greece maintained its third place worldwide in the 2016 “Blue Flag” Awards, participating with 430 beaches and 9 marinas which were recognised for their excellent seawater quality, litter management, organisation of the swimming area, safety procedures for bathers and protection of the environment, among other factors. Particularly this year, they’ve awarded 3.642 beaches, 660 marinas and 21 tourist boats from 50 different countries which took part in the programme that is organised by the Foundation for Environmental Education (F.E.E.).

The “Blue Flag” is a programme of environmental awareness and protection which is implemented every year since 1987. In order to receive a “BlueFlag” eco-label, a beach must not only be found to have an excellent water quality for bathing, but it must also comply with a further 33 criteria concerning cleanliness, environmental management and organisation, environmental education and information, visitor safety and services, as well as protection of nature, the coast and the coastal area. It is widely known that tourist agencies consider the “Blue Flags” as a key factor in choosing and organising holiday destinations, therefore Greece will attract even more touristinterest.

The official ceremony of the awards was held on May 25th in Halkidiki, which was picked as the Greek"champion" area, as it won 52 "Blue Flags!" Note that this is the first time in the institution’s history where the annual ceremony takes place outside of Denmark, where the head offices of the F.E.E. are located.

Visitgreece.gr is the official tourism web site for Greece, run by the Greek National Tourism Organisation, where you'll find information on the main tourist destinations, such as cities, beaches, as well as activities, events and much more!